Treatment of jute



Patented Mar. 3, 19 25 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK DAVID STEWART SANDEMAN AND GEORGE BER-ESFORD CRADDOCK, 0FDUNDEE, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR-S T0 JUTE INDUSTRIES LIMITED, .0}? DUNDEFORFAR, SCOTLAND, A. BRITISH COMPANY.

TREATMENT or .IUTE.

Application filed April 23, 1923. Serial No. 634,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERICK DAVID STEWART SA'NDEMAN and GEQRGEBnmssronn CRADDOCK, subjects of the King of England, and both residentsof Dundee, F orfar, Scotland, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Treatment of Jute, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention reates to the treatment of jute and has for its object toenable a colouring of the jute to be effected in a simple and economicalmanner.

lVhen it is desired to impart colour to jute yarn it is customary to dyethe yarn after it has been spun this dyeing constituting an entirelyseparate process and adding correspondingly to the cost of the product.By means of the present invention a tinting or dyeing of the yarn can beeffected at a much less cost.

According to this invention colouring matter is applied to the jutefibre while it is undergoing a treatment to which the jute is ordinarilysubjected before carding and spinning. This is effected by addingcolouring matter to the liquid such as the water with which the jute istreated as it passes through the softener. Thus a colouring of the fibreis combined with and carried out at the same time as the softening.

The invention may be carried out in practice, for eiiample, by adding asuitable dyeing or colouring substance to the water inv the tank whichserves to supply the softener in which water and oil are sprinkled on orotherwise applied to the fibre as it passes between the rollers of thesoftener. The colouring liquid is caused by the softening process topermeate the mass of fibres and further impregnation of the fibres takesplace while they lie in the barrows after removal from the softener.Thus by the time the fibres are passed into the breaker card they haveacquired the necessary tint with the result that the finished yarn willhave a corresponding tint. If desired, the dyeing or tinting liquid maybe contained in a separate tank which delivers into the water supplytank for the softener or into the pipe by which this water is led to thesoftener or the dyeing liquid may be sprinkled over the fibres in thesoftener by means ,separate from the ordinary water or oil sprinklingmeans.- In either case the colouring mat ter is applied to the fibreswhile they are undergoing a wet treatment to which they would normallybe subjected.

The dye or colouring matter may first be made up in a fairly strongsolution say 20% solution of the dye and then diluted, the requisitequantity of this dilute solution be.- ing added to the tankcontainingthe liquid to be supplied to the softener.

The colouring matter employed may vary in accordance with the nature ofthe fibre, the colour which it is required togive this fibre and theintensity of this colour, but the process is more particularly intendedfor use in tinting the fibre, that is to say, giving thereto arelatively pale colour as distinct from adyeing effect whereby a.stronger colour is imparted to the fibre, such as would result fromcomplete immersion of the fibre in the dye. In the present process, onthe other hand, the fibre is preferably only subjected to a damping ormoistening such as takes place normally during the softening process.

\Vhen a comparatively strong colour is to be imparted to the dye it maybe necessary to saturate all'the fibre to an extent greater than isusual or desirable in the normal softening process. In suchcircumstances the fibre may be partia ly dried in any suitable apparatusafter it leaves the softener and before it passes to the breaker card.

If the nature of the colouring matter or dye is such as to requirefixing thisoperation may be performed also before the fibre is passed tothe breaker card.

If desired the oil with which the fibre is to be treated in thesoftening process may be the vehicle for the colouring matter instead ofthe latter being contained in the water then used, or substances whichwhen combined will give the required colour to the fibre may becontained respectively in the oil and in the water.

Thus various effects may be obtained by this process so as to enable theresultant yarn to have such a tint or distinct colour as may berequired. The cost of effecting the colouring of the fibre by thepresent process is considerably less than if the fibre is dyed orcoloured after spinning or at any other stage by a separate process withthe result that it is possible to produce an article which iscommercially cheaper than yarns having such tints or colours as producedheretofore.

\Yhen carrying the invention into practice it is desirable to spread thejute fibre rather more carefully than usual as it enters the softeningmachine so that the fibre will pass through the rollers of the softeningmachine in a layer of substantially even thickness throughout the widthof this machine. In this way the softening liquid containing thecolouring matter will permeate more thoroughly all the fibres. Thespreading of the fibres in the necessary manner is effected by hand asthese fibres are fed into the softener.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically in sectionalelevation one arrangement of the apparatus for carrying out the abovedescribed process.

A concentrated liquor of the colouring matter is disposed in a tank Aand this liquor in the required proportion is deli 'ered into the mainwater tank B where the colouring matter is diluted to the requiredstrength a thorough mixing of the colouring matter and the water beingeffected by means of some type of stirrer or mixer C. The watercontaining the colouring matter then flows from the main supply andmixing tank B into a subsidiary tank D whence. the coloured liquid isdelivered through Sprayers E to the jute fibres F as they pass throughthe rollers G of the softening machine. In the pipe H which conveys thewater containing the colouring matter from the tank D to the sprayers Ethere is a cock H for cont-rolling the flow. The flow of the colouringliquor from the tank A into the mixing tank B and the flow of liquidfrom the tank B into the tank D is also suit-ably controlled as forexample by cocks at J and K. The oil with which the fibre is alsotreated in the softening machine is contained in a tank L whence itflows through a pipe M controlled by a cock M to the nozzles N.

The fibres are spread out as evenly as possible across the feed sheet ofthe softening machin 'so that they will pass in an even blanket betweenthe rollers G of that machine. These fibres pass first beneath thenozzles N which deliver oil and then the fibres pass beneath thesprayers E which deliver the water containing the colouring matter thefibres during the whole time being subjected to a. kneading effect bythe rollers G. By the time that the fibres leach the end of thesoftening machine an effective impregnation with the colouring matterhas been effected and this impregnation is effected while the fibres liein a moist state in the barrows in which they are placed after removalfrom the softening machine and before these fibres are delivered intothe breaker card.

In the process of softening jute, the quantity of oil used is quitesmall and it is applied as a fine spray so that by the time the water isapplied to the jute this oil has not reached all parts of the fiber, andthe water can also wet the fibers. following kneading process the oiland water are worked together in the form of an emulsion so that the dyecontained in the water is worked into th fibers, it of course beingunderstood that the water does not strike all parts of the fibers andthey are thus rather spotted and unevenly dyed, only parts of each fiberreceiving the coloring matter. 7 j

The details of the' construction and arrangement of the apparatusemployed for carrying out the process may vary in accordance withrequirements.

What we'claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. A process for coloring jute, consisting in the application ofcoloring matter to the fiber while the latter is undergoing a wettreatment to which it would be normally subjected before carding andspinning.

2. A process for coloring jute in a single operation. consisting in theapplication of liquid coloring matter to the fibers in the form of aspray before said fibers have been formed into a. sliver in the earlieststages of the spinning process and while said fibers are spread out in amat-like layer so as to dye the fibers only partially.

3. A process for colouring jute consisting in the application ofcolouring matter to the fibre while it is undergoing the softeningtreatment to which it is subjected before the fibre is passed into thebreaker card.

4. A process for colouring jute consisting in the addition of colouringmatter to the liquid employed in the process of softening the fibre sothat colouring of this fibre takes place simultaneously with thesoftening.

5. A process for colouring jute consisting in the application ofcolouring matter to the fibre while it is passing through the softener.

6. A process for colouring jute consisting in the addition of colouringmatter to the liquid with which the jute is treated as it passesthroughthe softener.

7. A process for colouring jute consisting in the addition of colouringmatter to the water with which the jute is treated as it passes throughthe softener.

8. A process for colouring jute consisting in a strong solution ofcolouring matter being added to the liquid with which the jute istreated as it. is passing through the softener, the added solution ofcolouring matter being in such proportion as is necessary to During theproduce the desired intensity of colour in the fibre.

9. A process for colouring jute consisting in so feeding-the jute fibreto the softener 5 that this fibre will pass through the rollers of thesoftener in a substantially even mat thereby enabling the liquid withwhich the fibre is treated as it passes through the softener toeffectually permeate all the fibre.

liquid so that the colouring of the fibre takes place during thesoftening process.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

FREDERICK DAVID STEWART SANDEMAN. GEORGE HEREFORD CRADDOCK.

